Fiery determination

Whatever we wish to achieve in life should be firmly determined first. Only then success is assured. Determination and firmness of purpose comes from the power of Spirit which makes our mind resolute in nature.

We must set high goals in life with a meaningful purpose touching larger issues and serving larger people. Petty goals and petty means demean our souls. It is a loss to our dignity and self respect.

Unpreparedness of mind should be dealt with, first of all. To become mentally prepared we must search our souls to know what our goal in life is at present. To know and determine the exact goal, to ascertain whether we are doing the right thing, or to excel in all our pursuits we must first surrender ourselves at the Lord’s feet. The Lord, the Master of the Universe knows what is really right for us and after that we can pick up our chosen destination and decide on our set goals.

Once the period of confusion, self-doubt and unpreparedness is over, we must be thoroughly determined to achieve our large goals after receiving God’s consent, Grace and kind blessings.

Determination makes us empowered with a quality which later creates a carved out path for ourselves. And that quality is- fearlessness.

There are going to be speed-breakers, unexpected mental barriers and other tiring deterrents. But the faith in oneself and the Power of the Almighty clears the path and the road is well defined and uncluttered by now.

Now my dear, can you recall and think of some known characters from the past who had firmness of purpose and determination resembling fire?? You think on this and in the meantime I will tell you whom I consider worth mentioning here, who really had fiery determination and also enjoys a place in man’s history. And that is Panchali from Mahabharat period.

Panchali knew that the rightful heir of Hastinapur was Yudhishtir and that their kingdom was usurped by Duryodhan and his coterie of evil minded associates. The Kauravas grabbed the kingdom from the Pandavas by cheating them in the game of dice. Panchali was disgraced and insulted in the court-hall by Duryodhana, Karna, Dushshasan and the other wicked people present there at that foreboding time. She felt very lonely and had only Krishna for her timely help on her side. She was anguished and felt helpless at her own plight.

After the humiliation, Panchali avowed that she will avenge every misdeed of theirs. And she did. In the war of Kurukshetra, she asked her beloved husband Arjun and Herculean Bhima to kill Karna and Duryodhana respectively for their unforgiving abuses and demeaning acts towards her and relieve her from her agonizing vows. She called them cowards because for everything that they had won was won by fraud, cheating, plotting, conspiracy and treachery.

Panchali was determined to regain her dignity, self respect and lost glory which she eventually did. All that was possible because of not only her devotion towards Krishna but because of her unshakable resolution and fiery determination to win back her lost pride and honour….

And have you thought of some more extra-ordinary persons who have achieved what they set their eyes on  because they possessed fiery determination?

Ignite the flame of Illumination-II

The atmosphere was filled with vedic mantras as special poojas were being organised and conducted by devotees in the outside complex as well as inside the hall. I was listening to the rhythmic sound of mantras recited by the pujaris,  the Brahmins as I sat there facing the idol in the hall.

Gently my eyelids shut as I began ‘naam smaran’ or repeating the holy name. I was uttering mutely…Nityananda, Nityananda, Nityananda….

My mind was soon interiorized with the help of the ongoing chanting when after a brief spell I heard these words   inside me, “Chanting band karo”.

 ”Stop the chanting.”

  I obeyed immediately and I sat there with a restful mind. A few moments were spent like this when….

 At the point of concentration in between the two eyebrows of my forehead, I saw a Jyot, a Divine Flame in oval shape glowing radiantly. It was lemon yellow in colour. The flame had a thin outer ring of  blue colour. Or to be a  little more precise it was more close to cobalt blue, which quickly disappeared and only the yellow flame remained there.  The  flame was steady. I saw it glowing continously…Ah! What do I say what I saw!? Words can never translate what I experienced in those moments. How am I to say what I saw? What can I say how I felt at that moment? And whenever I recall those peerless moments in the temple, my whole being  fills up with deep tranquillity and joyful peace! I recapitulate those moments even now in times of solitude and repose to connect with the Eternal and relive that sense of oneness with it. Words cannot describe what your soul has felt. They will always fail me to express such   sublime moments of oneness with Divinity!

 The preparation and foundation , I realized later, for further higher experience had been laid with the glimpse of Light and with this my mind was elevated to higher sources  by this time. I understood sitting there that Sri Nityananda Swami had prepared the ground for me for higher and deeper revelations of spiritual sciences and enriching experience. Something more is yet to come.  And so….

 The quiet, mute conversation now began with the omnipresent Guru. He informed me by speaking very gently, “Yeh Divya jyot hai.”

 ”This is the flame of God.”

It occurred to me that it  was a confirmation of the spiritual phenomenon which took place just a few seconds before, or else I would have not fully understood what exactly had happened .  …

He continued, ” Mei tumhara param Guru hun. Param Guru Param Siddha Yogi hota hai.”

“I am your Param Guru.  Param Guru is a Param Siddha Yogi”

(Please read the previous post to know who is a Param Siddha Yogi)

 I bowed down reverentially in my heart at the blessed moment with a feeling of deep gratitude and thankfulness directed towards him. I stooped down to touch his feet, which always beam divine beatific rays, as though he was actually present in his physical body in front of me. I today realize that I had become a recipient of God’s blessing through Sri Nityananda on that very special day. So far I had known only about Kripa- Prasad, but for the first time it dawned on me that this is ‘Hari Prasad’  – God’s blessings in such wonderful ways. I was very, very pleasantly awakened with such a rewarding experience !

 After this,  the oval shaped  flame expanded to become a small circle and covered my upper portion of the face and forehead and the malleable energy in its circumference was touching my skin while I felt its tingling on my cheekbones very vividly. I even felt the sensations on the eyelids and  forehead. I was deeply absorbed in this experience sitting there with my eyes closed and did not care at all about what was happening around me as the minutes that were floating were too blissful to barter with anything else and was not worth its match really!.

 At this stage, Swami Nityanand enlightened me by giving me knowledge of various stages of spiritual progress by the human soul.  He began by revealing “Divya gyan Param Guru se hota hai.”

“Sacred knowledge is imparted by Param Guru only”.

 These words of wisdom from the great soul were like immortal drops of elixir, words that infused life and vigour in me because they were spiritually awakening in every sense.  I became more attentive now as I wanted to gather every little piece of the priceless pearls that were falling in my lap one by one.

 At this point, the circle of the halo extended and became bigger than even before as I felt the soothing warmth of the extremely light and gentle tingling sensation of the halo touching my shoulders. The scattering rays sat lightly over my both shoulders. And there I sat, unmoved soaking myself in the balsamic rays and felt lighter and lighter. I was further gratified by the following upcoming words of spiritual wisdom from the kind hearted saint.

“Guru aur Ishwar ek ho jata hai is awastha par. Yahan par shanti hai.”

“Guru and God become one at this stage. There is Peace here.”

 Soon the ethereal halo became much  larger, big enough to encircle me wholly and completely by now. I was so enamoured by it that I can’t really tell! I felt the emmolient  rays of Light which were falling and descending all over me like satin-soft light showers of featherweight rain drizzle. They were too, too endearing and alluring. And they continued to fall till they touched my knees and the rest of the body by now. I sat there bathing …under the thick canopy of soul-soothing Divine rays. I took a spiritual bath under the shower of Divine Light and felt profusely blessed at that stupendous moment. I was completely dissolved with gratitude for my Guru and God both. God’s blessings came as a real surprise and I was receiving them like the  thirsty dry  earth  that sips the first rain drops of the rainy season hungrily! My thirsty soul never once wished for the rains to stop! A memorable time of my life written with indelible ink!

 It was the sheer Grace of God which was flowing towards me through the benevolent saint of Ganeshpuri. Had he not intervened and explained to me in explicit terms through his soft spoken mellifluous words,  I would have not known and understood the matchless value of this valuable experience.

 He went on to  speak these weighty words of enlightenment to illumine me once again. ” Yahan aakar, Guru bhi nahi rahta, Brahma hota hai.  Is awastha mei kewal nishabad brahma hota hai. Shanti ke baad maun, shunya hai.  Yeh satya ki khoj hai. Brahma hamara strot hai. Hum wahin se aaye hai aur punha usme leen hona hai. To dhyan karo,  is Ishwar ki Jyot par dhyan karo.”

 

 “After arriving at  this stage even the Guru is not there, only Brahmn remains. At this stage there is the Absolute Truth, absolute Brahma, Immutable Brahma, Unchanging atman our Spirit. This is the beginning of the search of the Truth. Brahma  is the source of our Origin. We must immerse in it again. So meditate on the Light of God! Meditate on the golden glow of illuminating Light!”

  So my dear child kindly listen to me now. Surrender completely in your heart and mind at the Lotus Feet of your spiritual master. He is the messenger of God for his devotees. He will show you the path of salvation and the road to illumination. God’s Grace is received by those who have complete trust in their spiritual mentor and who are ready to obey them unconditionally. One can chant this mantra for moksha thus freeing his soul from bondages of karmic consequences...

Om Namo Bhagwate Nityananda. Om Namo Bhagwate Nityananda.. Om Namo Bhagwate Nityananda….

 

 Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu.

 Gururo Devo Maheshwara.

Guru sakshat para Brahma

Tasmai Shri Gurvai namah.

Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti Om.

Ignite the flame of Illumination-I

Illumination here means knowledge of Self. In all of us exists Light of God. Light is where there is no darkness. The purpose and aim of spirituality is to discover our  real and authentic nature. It is a journey that we undertake where the destination is the discovery of the presence of Spirit or the source of illumination in ourselves. Spirit is the illuminating Light ever present within ourselves.

 The journey though long and uphill, once when embarked, one day comes to an end only when a stalwart Spiritual Guru, who is of course a liberated soul himself, rescues and salvages our soul. He transmits and infuses His own power for us to unfold and later manifest fully our omnipresent Spirit, the source of Light of Illumination and Knowledge.

Swami Nityananda of Ganeshpuri

 Swami Nityananda is my param guru, a maha siddha yogi. His entire life was dedicated to the welfare of those people who were dispirited, miserable, grief-stricken or sick and dying. And also towards the seekers or sadhaks. He was always in bliss and therefore earned the title Nityananda which means ‘always in ananda,  bliss’

 His samadhi is in Ganeshpuri, approximately 75 kms from Mumbai. Incidently, there is no Ganesh temple in Ganeshpuri as the name says, but the main place of interest is the samadhi of Swami Sri Nityananda. There one  also finds  samadhis of his prominent disciples  resting close to him like Swami Dayanand Shaligram and Swami Muktananda. Ganeshpuri is famous and known mainly for Sri Nityananda who spent almost all of his life there amidst the tribal people inhabiting the forests some 70 years ago. He made their lives better helping them by providing much needed social services like schools, hospitals, roads etc. Ganeshpuri is synonymous with Sri Nityananda.

 Though he is no more in his impermanent physical encasement, that place still emanates very strong vibrations of deep peace and  tranquillity and spiritual splendour within a wide range of its radius.

 It is not possible for us to know the depth and stature of his prolific spiritual state and the staggering heights  that he had touched and had possessed. But even now, if we implore with a sincere call, he readily unveils a profile of his great humane character. For us, this is like receiving Kripa- Prasad or grace as blessings.

 Param Siddha Yogi means an expounder and exponent of mighty and lofty liberating ideas. A rescuer, a liberator and the one who has attained multiple divine powers since very early childhood. He is born as a free soul with no tinge of lingering mud of sins and only virtues of highest order with him. Param Siddha yogis appear on earth only with the wish and will of God with a very big mission to accomplish and merely for the uplifting and welfare of the humanity in masses. Their kind-heartedness compels them to have pity at the helpless state of  the miserable and needy men. They raise them from physical, mental, emotional and spiritual sufferings and sorrows. People’s lives are restored, their miseries mitigated and stability as well as prosperity established. The delusion of Maya is completely wiped out in the case of sadhaks, sannyasis, yogis, mahayogis and rishis if they so desire. For  enlightened souls like Nityanand Swami,  Gyan (knowledge), karma (action) and bhakti (devotion) are all one because they converge and all three  are equally dear to him, whichever our path maybe. The world for them is a Leela, a stage where there is a passing show or drama going on. Brahma, the absolute is real and the rest unreal.

 Out of the so many followers that come to the Maha Siddha Yogi,  just a handful plead for salvation. Whenever such a suppliant implores with a sincere call, he loses no time in responding immediately. But the petitioner should possess some basic qualifications such as  firm determination to help himself and devotion and loyalty towards his  gracious guru. The rest of the responsibility is taken care of by him as he is endowed with all the Shakti (power) and yukti(strategy).

 The birth and life of exalted souls is encrypted in mystery by God’s will. They have exceptional missions and goals in life which are unthinkable and unimaginable for us and impossible to ever attain. But when their benevolence and kripa Prasad is given out of mercy on us, we are equipped to accomplish some extra-ordinary goals, missions  and feats in our  life which we could have never achieved otherwise on our own.

 Let me now share something with you my dear. What I just finished telling you just now relates to my life too.  It has occurred in my life because of which I could deal with many life situations in extra-ordinary ways by overcoming various deterring obstacles and also achieving difficult goals. I beat many odds and therefore could accomplish many things which was impossible for me to do otherwise. This has led to altering my life completely. How can I not thank the compassionate and merciful Master for his benevolence, generosity and kindness towards me? Words are never enough to thank Him. 

 Yesterday was 31^st Jan of the year 2009 and the day was Basant Panchami, the spring festival in India. It is also a day on which the Hindus pray to goddess Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge of scriptures, arts and music. As a child I remember in school we all used to worship Ma Saraswati by decorating her idol with yellow and orange marigold flowers, singing hymns and devotional songs in her praise, saying prayers and asking her to bless us and give us knowledge. We all gathered in the assembly hall and sang in chorus. All the girls would wear yellow clothes on that day and after the prayer meeting, we all got a piece of yellow burfi to eat! I presumed then that we chose the special colour of the day, yellow because in North India, after Basant Panchami arrives Basant Ritu or the spring season. So yellow was seen everywhere, you see. But that was all I knew, the spiritual aspect of the colour yellow and the importance of the spring season in terms of scientific and spiritual sense was unknown to me.

 In Ganeshpuri Samadhi temple on this particular day, the celebration of the spring festival is also performed by opening the restricted idol area of Swami Nityanand in the temple by removing the barricade in front of the idol for a few hours for all to enter. The purpose is that the devotees can circumambulate or walk all the way around the holy idol. Circumambulating an idol is a ritual, a way of worshipping and in this way we also get an opportunity to come closer to the energy field of the resting soul there.

Vajreshwari temple

 To recharge myself and to receive additional spiri,tual benefits I planned and made a trip to Ganeshpuri on this day with my daughter. I wore a deep lemon yellow cotton sari and proceeded towards my chosen destination in the morning. On the way, I stopped my car at Vajreshwari, 3 kms before Ganeshpuri  and climbed upto the doorsteps of the  temple of Ma Vajreshwari, one of the many forms of goddess Durga. The temple is unique in structure and style of architecture as it is made like a fort by the local ruler before independence. We were lucky that day as we found very few people in the temple complex and I was able to pray there quietly and spend some peaceful minutes inside the inner chambers. We then drove towards Ganeshpuri .

 After reaching the place, we both went inside the big temple hall of Swami Nityananda where the followers and bhaktas were in a relaxed mood and were waiting in the short queue to walk around the idol. Once again  we got lucky as the swarm of people had not arrived yet. Like others, we too walked towards the idol without any restrictions and felt privileged. Once inside, I was ecstatic. The chamber where the idol is installed vibrated like a dynamo, it was a very charged zone. We also took a parikrama around the idol and  touched Baba’s feet. With humility in our heart, we offered a box of sweets and a coconut as per the rituals as a mark of gratitude towards him. I came out with a deep sense of contentment and found a comfortable place to sit in the hall in front of the iconic idol… ..     

Side view of Swami Nityanand's temple, Ganeshpuri

                                              

                                                                                                                                                                                                         To be continued.

Please -refer- How to surmount obstacles-II to know Swami Nityananda’s contribution in re-moulding my life through his benediction and selfless love)